Tape Drive With Head-Gimbal Assembly And Contact Plate

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure generally relates to a tape embedded drive having a head-gimbal assembly (HGA) and a contact plate. By using a support structure or contact plate beneath the tape, read and write heads can be designed to be narrower than the tape. The support structure or contact plate can stretch or relax the tape so that the spacing between servo tracks on the tape corresponds to the servo to servo spacing on the head. HGAs, which are narrower than the tape, can fly over the tape and read data from and write data to the tape. The HGA can have a single head or multiple heads. Additionally, multiple independent head assemblies can also be used for reading from and writing to the same tape.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/864,050, filed Apr. 30, 2020, which is herein incorporatedby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Field of the Disclosure

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a tapeembedded drive having a head-gimbal assembly (HGA) and a contact plate.

Description of the Related Art

Tape data storage is a system for storing digital information onmagnetic tape using digital recording. Tape storage media is morecommonly packaged in cartridges and cassettes. A tape drive performswriting or reading of data in the cartridges or cassettes. A commoncassette-based format is linear tape open (LTO), which comes in avariety of densities.

Tape drives operate by using a tape head to record and read backinformation from tapes by magnetic processes. The tape head comprisesservo elements and data elements that are arranged in an array that isoftentimes referred to as a tape head array.

In operation, the tape drive system uses an up/down stepping motor andvoice coil motor (VCM), called dual stage motors, to move a large writerand reader head bar. The tape may stretch and move and thus not properlyalign with the tape head during read and/or write operations.Furthermore, the track spacing between adjacent data tracks can bedifferent due to the stretching and/or moving of the tape.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved tape drive thatcan correct tape stretching or movement.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to a tape embedded drive havinga head-gimbal assembly (HGA) and a contact plate. By using a supportstructure or contact plate beneath the tape, read and write heads can bedesigned to be narrower than the tape. The support structure or contactplate can stretch or relax the tape so that the spacing between servotracks on the tape corresponds to the servo to servo spacing on thehead. HGAs, which are narrower than the tape, can fly over the tape andread data from and write data to the tape. The HGA can have a singlehead or multiple heads. Additionally, multiple independent headassemblies can also be used for reading from and writing to the sametape.

In one embodiment, a storage device comprises: a first tape reel forunwinding tape media for storing data; a second tape reel for windingthe tape media for storing data; a head assembly for reading data fromand writing data to the tape media; and a contact plate movable from afirst position spaced from the tape media to a second position incontact with the tape media, wherein the tape media is movable from athird position that is spaced a first distance from the head assemblyand a fourth position that is spaced a second distance from the headassembly, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance.

In another embodiment, a storage device comprises: a head-gimbalassembly for reading data from and writing data to the tape media,wherein the head-gimbal assembly is configured to fly above the tapemedia when reading data from and writing data to the tape media.

In another embodiment, a storage device comprises: a first tape reel forunwinding tape media for storing data; a second tape reel for windingthe tape media for storing data; means to read data from and write datato the tape media, wherein the means to read data from and write data tothe tape media is movable from a first position spaced a first distancefrom the tape media to a second position spaced a second distance fromthe tape media, wherein the means to read data from and write data tothe tape media reads data from and writes data to the tape media at thesecond position; and means to move the tape media closer to and fartherfrom the means to read data from and write data to the tape media.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the presentdisclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description ofthe disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference toembodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Itis to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this disclosure and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

FIGS. 1A-1C are schematic illustrations of a tape embedded drive,according to various embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a Printed Circuit Board Assembly(PCBA), according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a head assembly of a tape embeddeddrive, according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic illustration of a linear tape-open (LTO)head bar and a head bar for the tape embedded drive, according to oneembodiment.

FIGS. 5A-5B are schematic illustrations of a head assembly using apush-pull suspension system, according to various embodiments.

FIGS. 6A-6C are schematic illustrations of a head assembly comprising ahead gimbal assembly (HGA), according to various embodiments.

FIGS. 7A-7C are schematic illustrations of a contact plate, according tovarious embodiments.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in oneembodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments withoutspecific recitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following, reference is made to embodiments of the disclosure.However, it should be understood that the disclosure is not limited tospecific described embodiments. Instead, any combination of thefollowing features and elements, whether related to differentembodiments or not, is contemplated to implement and practice thedisclosure. Furthermore, although embodiments of the disclosure mayachieve advantages over other possible solutions and/or over the priorart, whether or not a particular advantage is achieved by a givenembodiment is not limiting of the disclosure. Thus, the followingaspects, features, embodiments and advantages are merely illustrativeand are not considered elements or limitations of the appended claimsexcept where explicitly recited in a claim(s). Likewise, reference to“the disclosure” shall not be construed as a generalization of anyinventive subject matter disclosed herein and shall not be considered tobe an element or limitation of the appended claims except whereexplicitly recited in a claim(s).

The present disclosure generally relates to a tape embedded drive havinga head-gimbal assembly (HGA) and a contact plate. By using a supportstructure or contact plate beneath the tape, read and write heads can bedesigned to be narrower than the tape. The support structure or contactplate can stretch or relax the tape so that the spacing between servotracks on the tape corresponds to the servo to servo spacing on thehead. HGAs, which are narrower than the tape, can fly over the tape andread data from and write data to the tape. The HGA can have a singlehead or multiple heads. Additionally, multiple independent headassemblies can also be used for reading from and writing to the sametape.

FIGS. 1A-1C are schematic illustrations of a tape embedded drive 100,according to various embodiments. The tape embedded drive, in FIGS. 1Aand 1B, comprises a casing 105, one or more tape reels 110, tape media115, one or more motors (e.g., a stepping motor 120 (i.e., a steppermotor), a voice coil motor (VCM) 125, etc.), a head assembly 130 withone or more read and write heads, a contact plate 160, and tapeguides/rollers 135 a, 135 b. The tape media 115 may be referred to astape media 115 for exemplary purposes. In FIG. 1C, the printed circuitboard assembly (PCBA) 155 is mounted on an external surface of thecasing.

In FIG. 1B, two tape reels 110 are placed in the interior cavity of thecasing 105, with the center of the two tape reels 110 in-line with oneanother and on the same level in the cavity and with the head assembly130 located in the middle and below of the two tape reels 110. Tape reelmotors 140 located in the spindles of the tape reels can operate to windand unwind the tape media 115 in the tape reels. Each tape reel 110 mayalso incorporate a tape folder to ensure the tape media 115 is woundneatly onto the reel 110. The tape media 115 may be made via asputtering process to provide improved areal density.

Tape media 115 from the tape reels 110 are biased against theguides/rollers 135 a, 135 b, collectively referred to as guides/rollers135, with the two guides/rollers 135 a furthest away from the headassembly 130 serving to change the direction of the film and the twoguides/rollers 135 b closest to the head assembly 130 pressing the tapemedia 115 towards the head assembly 130.

As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the guides/rollers 135 on the same side(i.e., left or right of the center axis of the long edge of the device)utilize the same structure. In FIG. 1B, the guides/rollers 135 may havemore specialized shapes and differ from each other based on function.The number of guides/rollers 135 illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B are notintended to be limiting, and a greater or a lesser number of rollers maybe used in other embodiments. For example, the two function rollers maybe cylindrical in shape, while the two functional guides may beflat-sided (e.g., rectangular prism) or clip shaped with two prongs andthe film moving between the prongs of the clip.

The VCM 125 and the stepping motor 120 may variably position the one ormore read/write tape heads transversely with respect to the width of thetape media 115. The stepping motor 120 may provide coarse movement ofthe one or more read/write tape heads while the VCM 125 may providefiner actuation of the one or more read/write tape heads. In oneembodiment, servo data can be written to the tape to aid in moreaccurate positioning of the one or more write/read heads along the tapefilm.

The contact plate 160 may comprise various mechanics to provide supportto the backside (i.e., opposite of the writing side) of the tape media115 when writing to or reading from the tape media 115. By utilizing thecontact plate 160 to support the backside of the tape media 115, theless tension may be applied to the tape media 115, thus lengthening thelifespan of the tape media 115.

In FIG. 1A, the casing 105 comprises one or more particle filters 141and/or desiccants 142 to help maintain the environment in the casing.For example, if the casing is not airtight, the particle filters 141and/or desiccants 142 may be placed where airflow is expected. Theparticle filters 141 and/or desiccants 142 may be placed in one or morecorners or in one or more locations away from the moving internalcomponents. For example the moving reels 110 may generate internalairflow as the tape media 115 winds/unwinds, and the particle filters141 and/or desiccants 142 may be placed within the generated internalairflow.

The placement of the internal components within the casing 105 of thetape embedded drive 100 may be different according to variousembodiments. For example, in one embodiment, the head assembly 130 isinternal to the casing 105, such that the tape media 115 is not exposedoutside of the casing 105, such as in conventional tape drives. Thus,the tape film does not need to be routed along the edge of the casingand can be freely routed in more compact or otherwise more efficientways within the casing. The one or more read/write tape heads and tapereels 110 may be placed in a variety of locations to achieve a moreefficient layout, as there is no design requirement to provide externalaccess to the previously mentioned components.

In FIG. 1C, the casing 105 comprises a cover 150 and a base 145. ThePCBA 155 is attached to the bottom of the external surface of the casing105 and opposite of the cover 150. Since the PCBA 155 is made of solidstate electronics and may be more durable to the environment, the PCBA155 does not need to be placed inside the casing 105. However, in someembodiments, the PCBA 155 is placed inside the casing 105. The placementof the PCBA 155 on the outside of the casing 105 releases space withinthe cavity of the tape embedded drive 100 that would otherwise beoccupied by the PCBA 155. The space released by the placement of thePCBA 155 may be utilized to place other components, such as filters 141and/or desiccants 142 to better protect to the internal environment ofthe tape embedded drive 100.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a Printed Circuit Board Assembly(PCBA), according to one embodiment. The PCBA 155 is attached to thebottom surface of the casing, with a connector 205 attaching to contactsor an interface on the bottom surface electrically/electronicallyconnected to internal components in the casing. For example, thecontacts or the interface may be electronically connected to one or moremotors, such as the VCM 125 and the stepping motor 120 of FIG. 1, and/oractuators within the casing, such as the casing 105 of FIG. 1. In oneembodiment, the contacts/interface are built into the casing 105 withoutcomprising the hermetically sealed casing 105. In another embodiment,the connector 205 can be electrical feed-through electrically connectingcomponents inside the casing 105 to those on the PCBA 155, whilemaintaining the hermetic seal of the casing 105.

The PCBA 155 comprises various components, such as one or morecontrollers, one or more connectors 205, system on chip (SoC) 210, oneor more data interfaces 215 (e.g., Serial ATA (SATA), Serial attachedSCSI (SAS), non-volatile memory express (NVMe), or the like), memory220, Power Large Scale Integration (PLSI) 225, and/or data read channelcontroller 230. One or more cutouts 235 may be added to the PCBA 155 toprovide additional space for tape reel motors, such as the tape reelmotors 140 of FIG. 1. For example, the portion of the casing 105 abovethe tape reel motors 140 may be raised to provide additional space forthe motors. The cutouts 235 may allow for the reduction of the thicknessof the tape embedded drive 100 as the PCBA 155 may surround the raisedportion of the casing 105.

The PCBA 155 may extend along the entire bottom exterior surface of thecasing 105 or may only partially extend along the surface, depending onthe space requirements of the various tape embedded drive components. Insome embodiments, a second PCBA (not shown) may be located internally inthe casing 105 and be in communication with the first PCBA 155, forexample, via the connector 205.

In various embodiments, a controller on the PCBA 155 controls the readand write operations of the tape embedded drive 100. The controller mayengage the tape reel motors 140 and cause the tape reels 110 to wind thetape media 115 forwards or backwards. The controller may further use theVCM and the stepping motor, such as the VCM 125 and the stepping motor120 of FIG. 1, to control the placement of the one or more read/writetape heads above the tape media 115. The controller may also control theinput/output of data to or from the tape embedded drive 100 through oneor more interfaces 215, such as SATA or SAS.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a head assembly 300 of a tapeembedded drive 100, according to one embodiment. The head assembly 300comprises a multi-stage actuator for moving the head assembly 300. Insome embodiments, the multi-stage actuator comprises a stepping motor305 (first stage), which may provide coarse actuation, a voice coilmotor 310 (second stage) comprising a coil 329 and magnet 330, which mayprovide fine actuation, and a piezoelectric actuator 315 (third stage),which may provide ultra-fine actuation for up/down movement of a headbar 320. In one embodiment, the piezoelectric actuator 315 is a leadzirconate titanate (PZT) actuator (e.g., shear PZT). By using a 3-stagemotor, the movement of the head bar 320 can be more precise. Withgreater precision, more channels can be supported on the tape film,potentially allowing for greater data density on the tape media 115. Inone embodiment, the head bar 320 comprises heads in a write-read-writelayout, similar in layout to conventional tape heads. In anotherembodiment, the head bar 320 comprises two heads in a read-write layout,similar in layout to HOD heads.

The head assembly 300 further comprises a screw shaft 325 coupling anactuator block 326 to the stepping motor 305. The screw shaft 325 andguide shafts 324, 340 may facilitate movement of the actuator block bythe stepping motor 305. In some embodiments, a different number of guideshafts 324, 340 are used (e.g., 0, 1, 3+). For example, smaller orlighter actuator blocks may need less support during movement and useonly one or even no guide shafts. Meanwhile, larger or heavier actuatorblocks may use additional guide shafts or multiple screw shafts.

A suspension assembly 328 couples the head bar 320 to the actuator block326. In one embodiment, the suspension assembly 328 comprises a mountingplate, a load beam, and a laminated flexure to carry the electricalsignals to and from the read and write heads in the head bar 320. Thesuspension assembly 328 comprising a coil 329 through which a controlledelectrical current is passed. The coil 329 interacts with one or moremagnets 330 attached to the actuator block 326 to form a voice coilmotor 310 to controllably move the head bar 320.

In one embodiment, a head support block 335 couples the head bar 320 andpiezoelectric actuator 315 to the suspension assembly 328. The headsupport block 335 comprises a clamp 336 to secure the head bar 320 andthe piezoelectric actuator 315 to a supporting structure 337perpendicular to the clamp 336 to couple the base to the suspensionassembly 328. In another embodiment, the head support block 335 and theactuator 315 form a suspension system that allows the head bar 320 tomove across the width of the tape media 115, in conjunction with thecontrol provided by the VCM 310 and the stepping motor 305.

In one embodiment, the piezoelectric actuator 315 may optionally be amultilayer piezoelectric element, comprising a plurality ofpiezoelectric material layers sandwiched between conductive (e.g., gold)electrode layers. In another embodiment, the piezoelectric actuator 315may optionally comprise one or more of the many known piezoelectricmaterials, such as lead zirconate titanate, lead scandium tantalite,lanthanum gallium silicate, lithium tantalite, barium titanate, galliumphosphate, and/or potassium sodium tartrate.

In one embodiment, the piezoelectric actuator 315 extends or contractsalong a second axis. The actuator 315 may push the head bar 320 towardsthe tape media 115 or pull the head(s) away from the tape media 115. Inone embodiment, a heater (e.g., heating coil) may be incorporated intothe head bar 320 in order to cause the one or more read/write heads tomove closer to the tape film. A touchdown sensor may also beincorporated into the head bar 320 to detect head-film contact andprevent the head bar from touching the tape media 115.

By allowing the one or more read/write heads to move closer to the tapefilm, the signal strength can be increased. In addition, by allowing thehead bar 320 to move away from the tape media 115, a fast-forward orfast-rewind function may be enabled for the tape embedded drive 100. Asthe head bar 320 is further away from the media, the chances of themedia hitting the head bar is decreased even if the tape media 115 ismoving faster. By avoiding contact, the reliability of the read/writeheads and/or the tape media 115 is maintained.

In order to better secure the head assembly 300 to the casing 105, asecond guide shaft 340 may be used. In one embodiment, the first guideshaft 324 is on one side of the actuator block 326 with the second guideshaft 340 on the opposite end of the actuator block 326.

In one implementation, movement of the head bar 320 is accomplished in a3-stage action. First, the stepping motor 305 rotates the screw shaft325, causing the actuator block 326 to move up and down the first guideshaft 324 and the second guide shaft 340. The head bar 320 moves across(i.e., up and down) the width of a tape media 115. When a current isapplied to the VCM coil, the head support block 335 moves in the similarfashion (i.e., up and down the width of the tape media 115) as the headbar 320, while being supported by the suspension assembly 328. When avoltage is applied to the piezoelectric actuator 315, the one or moreread/write heads move across (i.e., up and down) the width of the tapemedia 115. Working in tandem, the 3-stage action can move the head bar320 across (i.e., up and down) the width of the tape film in coarse,fine, or ultra-fine increments. In one embodiment, the 3 stages ofmovement proceed at around a 30,000/10,000/1 ratio, with the steppingmotor 305 capable of moving up to about 12.65 mm, the VCM 310 capable ofmoving up to about 4 mm, and the piezoelectric actuator 315 capable ofmoving up to about 0.4 μm.

FIG. 4A is a schematic illustration of a linear tape-open (LTO) head bar405 and a head bar 410 for the tape embedded drive, according to oneembodiment. LTO cassettes comprise a stepping motor, such as thestepping motor 120 of FIG. 1 or the stepping motor 305 of FIG. 3, and aVCM, such as the VCM 125 of FIG. 1 or the VCM 310 of FIG. 3, to actuatethe head bar 410. In one embodiment, FIG. 4A illustrates therelationship between tape width and tape head bar length for LTO.

Multiple writers and readers may be located in a head bar. For example,a tape bar may have 1-10 reader heads and/or 1-10 writer heads.Typically, a tape head bar uses a writer-reader-writer layout. However,other layouts, such as writer-reader-reader-writer may be used. Invarious embodiments, using two or more readers provides bettersignal-to-noise ratio (SNR), allowing for higher TPI.

Tape recording uses head film contact technology for recording.Typically, an LTO tape uses four data bands on the film, in which theone or more read/write heads are moved to four different locations upand down the width of the tape. The stepping motor is used to move thehead bar to each of the four locations, with the voice coil motorhandling finer actuation within each location. Thus, an LTO cassetteuses a longer head bar length (e.g. 22.4 mm) than the tape width (e.g.12.65 mm), so that the tape width is covered by the head bar in each ofthe four possible locations that the stepping motor may move the headbar.

Due to the heavy mass of the longer head bar 405, wider head readerwidth and limited movement granularity of the stepping and voice coilmotors, the track density on the film for an LTO cassette is limited. AnLTO-7 track pitch is about 10.7 k TPI (2.37 um).

In one embodiment, the tape embedded drive 100 comprises a significantlysmaller head bar 410 than an LTO head bar 405, such as a head bar 410 ofabout 4 mm in length. With a shorter head bar length and correspondingless mass, the head bar can be moved up and down by PZT ultra-fineactuation. In one embodiment, the head assembly, such as the headassembly 130 of FIG. 1 or the head assembly 300 of FIG. 3, is attachedto the PZT actuator, such as the PZT actuator 315 illustrated in FIG. 3,which is located on an assembly attached to an actuating portion of thevoice coil motor, which in turn is on an assembly attached to anactuating portion of the stepping motor. In one embodiment, the PZTactuator 315 is moved by the VCM and the VCM is in turn moved by thestepping motor.

While the above discusses head bar sizes of about 4 mm, other sizes arepossible, such as about 3 mm, about 5 mm, or even other sizes. In someembodiments, the head bar is significantly smaller than the tape width.For example, the head bar may be less than half or even less than aquarter of the width of the tape media.

In one embodiment shown in FIG. 4B, two tape guides 415 are located onboth sides of the tape assembly. The tape guides 415 limit the movementof the tape media, such as the tape media 115 of FIG. 1, and providebetter stability when the head assembly is moving over the tape media115. In another embodiment, a single tape guide placed either before orafter the head assembly may be utilized.

The head bar 410 may be supported by an HOD-like gimbal assembly orsuspension assembly, such as the gimbal assembly illustrated in FIG. 3.The assembly may provide gentler and/or more stable head to filmcontact, potentially providing better reliability for reading and/orwriting. The suspension assembly may use a variety of materials, such asstainless steel or the like.

FIGS. 5A-5B are schematic illustrations of a head assembly 500 using apush-pull suspension system, according to various embodiments. Push-pullactuators generally use less voltage than shear actuators. The push-pullsuspension system comprises a push actuator 541, a pull actuator 542,and a frame 543. In one embodiment, the push actuator 541, the pullactuator 542, and a plurality of suspension wires connect the head bar520 to the frame 543 connected to a support structure 544.

Working in tandem, the push actuator 541 and pull actuators 542 may movethe suspended head bar 520 up and down relative to the width of thetape, as illustrated by the dashed arrows in FIG. 5B. For example, whenthe push actuator 541 contracts, the pull actuator 542 expands, therebypushing the head bar 520 to one direction (up). When the push actuator541 expands and the pull actuator 542 contracts, the head bar 520 ispushed in the opposite direction (down). In one embodiment, the pushactuator 541 and pull actuator 542 are PZTs.

The suspension system can also comprise wire suspensions 545 a, 545 bfor movably supporting the one or more read/write heads. In oneembodiment, the wire suspensions 545 a, 545 b are made of a flexiblematerial that can be easily moved by the push actuator 541 and pullactuator 542. In the illustrated embodiment, two suspension wires areplaced on each side of the one or more read/write heads.

The design of the wire suspensions may be different to account for thedesired movement of the head bar 520. For example, the push/pullactuators 541, 542 are moving the head bar 520 across the width of thetape media, such as the tape media 115 of FIG. 1, as illustrated by thedashed arrows. In one embodiment, a first wire suspension type 545 a isconfigured to facilitate the up-down movement, for example, by having aloop section configured to compress along the up-down movement. In oneembodiment, a second wire suspension type 545 b is configured to reducelateral movement during the up-down movement. For example, the secondsuspension wire may be stiffer, utilize a higher tensile material,and/or utilize a shape (e.g., a “W” shape) that reduces compressionalong the direction perpendicular to the up-down motion. In oneembodiment, the push-pull actuator designs used in HDDs may be adaptedfor use in the tape embedded drives 100, as described above, due thehigh reliability and low production cost of the push-pull actuatordesigns.

FIGS. 6A-6C are schematic illustrations of a head assembly 600comprising a head gimbal assembly (HGA) 650 adapted from HDD HGAs,according to various embodiments. FIG. 6C is a side profile view of FIG.6B rotated 90 degrees along an axis. The HGA 650 comprises an elongatedsuspension 651 comprising a top end and a base end. The suspension 651may support, on its top end, one or more heads 620 and one or more headsliders with an air bearing system 652.

The elongated suspension 651 may be connected, at its base end, to asupporting structure 653 by one or more actuators 654, 655 and aspring-type clamp 656. In the illustrated embodiment, the one or moreactuators 654, 655 are a push-pull actuator, with a first actuator 654and a second actuator 655 connecting the base of the suspension 651 tothe spring-type clamp 656 that connects the suspension 651 to thesupporting structure 653.

In an embodiment, the first actuator 654 and the second actuator 655 arePZT actuators. As shown in FIG. 6C, when the first actuator 654 expandsand the second actuator 655 contracts, the one or more read/write headsmove to the left. When the first actuator 654 contracts and the secondactuator 655 expands, the head(s) move to the right.

FIGS. 7A-7C are schematic illustrations of a contact plate 700,according to various embodiments. The contact plate 700 may be thecontact plate 160 of FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B. The contact plate 700 providessupport to the backside of the tape media, such as the tape media 115 ofFIG. 1, when a head, such as a flying head or a HDD HGA as illustratedin FIGS. 6A-6C. The term “flying head” may be used interchangeably withHDD HGA for exemplary purposes. The contact plate 700 comprises severalelements, such as a first actuator 702 and a second actuator 704 workingin tandem, a contact plate 706 of a contact plate structure 708, a base712 of the contact plate structure 708, and a base mechanical component710.

The contact plate structure 708 may be formed with any suitable materialto provide support to the tape media 115 and the flying head. In oneembodiment, the contact plate structure 708 is a flat structure. Inanother embodiment, the contact plate structure 708 is a curvedstructure. In yet another embodiment, the contact plate structure 708 isany suitable shape to provide support to the flying head and the tapemedia 115. The contact plate structure may be moved towards or away fromthe flying head to provide the appropriate amount of support to theflying head during read/write operations by a base mechanical component710. The base mechanical component 710 may be an additional feature ofthe base 712 to maneuver the contact plate structure into an appropriateposition.

The contact plate 706 may be coated in a material suitable to reduce andminimize friction as the tape media 115 moves across the surface of thecontact plate 706 during a read and/or write operation. In oneembodiment, the contact plate 706 width may be a similar size to thetape media described in FIG. 4A. In another embodiment, the contactplate 706 may be wider than the tape media described in FIG. 4A. In yetanother embodiment, the contact plate track 706 has a leading edge taperand a trailing edge taper to allow for adjustment. In one embodiment,the contact plate 706 comprises elements to manipulate the tape media115, such as a heating element. In another embodiment, the contact plate706 comprises elements to maneuver the tape media 115, such as a tapeguide, like the tape guide 615 described in FIG. 4A.

In one embodiment, the first actuator 702 and the second actuator 704are PZT actuators. Illustrated in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, when the firstactuator 702 expands and the second actuator 704 contracts, the contactplate 706 tilts in the direction of the second actuator 704. Likewise,when the second actuator 704 expands and the first actuator 702contracts, the contact plate 706 tilts downwards in the direction of thefirst actuator 702. The tilting of the contact plate 706 allows for thetension or pressure to be applied to the tape media 115 to providesupport for the flying head or the HDD HGA when reading from or writingform the tape media 115.

By using a contact plate as well as a head-gimbal assembly, tape mediacan be properly read without worry of tape stretching or movement.

It is to be understood that while embodiments discussed herein makereference to a tape drive having two reels, it is contemplated that tapedrives having a single reel, along with a contact plate, may be used aswell. For example, a read/write head, along with a contact plate, may bedisposed in a cartridge or enclosure that may then be inserted into adevice. Additionally, the cartridge may have one or two reels disclosedtherein. The cartridge is contemplated to be insertable into a devicefor use.

In one embodiment, a storage device comprises: a first tape reel forunwinding tape media for storing data; a second tape reel for windingthe tape media for storing data; a head assembly for reading data fromand writing data to the tape media; and a contact plate movable from afirst position spaced from the tape media to a second position incontact with the tape media, wherein the tape media is movable from athird position that is spaced a first distance from the head assemblyand a fourth position that is spaced a second distance from the headassembly, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance.The head assembly is spaced from the tape media when reading data fromand writing data to the tape media. The head assembly is a head-gimbalassembly. The contact plate has a curved surface for contacting the tapemedia. The contact plate is movable to maintain the second distance as asubstantially constant distance while the tape media is moving. Thecontact plate comprises a piezoelectric material. The storage deviceincludes an enclosure and wherein the first tape reel, the second tapereel, the head assembly, and the contact plate are all disposed withinthe enclosure.

In another embodiment, a storage device comprises: a head-gimbalassembly for reading data from and writing data to the tape media,wherein the head-gimbal assembly is configured to fly above the tapemedia when reading data from and writing data to the tape media. Thehead-gimbal assembly is movable from across the tape media in adirection perpendicular to a direction that the tape media moves duringoperation. The head-gimbal assembly includes a slider and a magnetichead assembly coupled thereto. The storage device further comprises asuspension coupled to the slider. The storage device further comprisesan actuator arm coupled to the slider. The storage device furthercomprises a voice coil motor coupled to the actuator arm. The storagedevice further comprises a contact plate, wherein the tape media isconfigured to move across the contact plate during device operation.

In another embodiment, a storage device comprises: a first tape reel forunwinding tape media for storing data; a second tape reel for windingthe tape media for storing data; means to read data from and write datato the tape media, wherein the means to read data from and write data tothe tape media is movable from a first position spaced a first distancefrom the tape media to a second position spaced a second distance fromthe tape media, wherein the means to read data from and write data tothe tape media reads data from and writes data to the tape media at thesecond position; and means to move the tape media closer to and fartherfrom the means to read data from and write data to the tape media. Boththe first position and the second position are spaced from the tapemedia. The means to move the tape media contacts the tape media. Thestorage device further comprises means to stretch the tape media. Thestorage device further comprises an enclosure and wherein the means toread data from and write data to the tape media and the means to movethe tape media are disposed within the enclosure. The storage devicefurther comprises means to correct track spacing on the tape media.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the presentdisclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may bedevised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scopethereof is determined by the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A storage device, comprising: a tape reel fortape media for storing data; a head assembly for reading data from andwriting data to the tape media; and a contact plate structure movablefrom a first position spaced from the tape media to a second position incontact with the tape media, wherein the tape media is movable from athird position that is spaced a first distance from the head assemblyand a fourth position that is spaced a second distance from the headassembly, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance.2. The storage device of claim 1, further comprising a first actuatorcoupled to the contact plate structure.
 3. The storage device of claim2, wherein the first actuator is a piezoelectric actuator.
 4. Thestorage device of claim 2, further comprising a second actuator coupledto the contact plate structure.
 5. The storage device of claim 4,wherein the second actuator is a piezoelectric actuator.
 6. The storagedevice of claim 1, wherein the contact plate structure comprises acontact plate having a leading edge tape and a trailing edge taper. 7.The storage device of claim 6, wherein the contact plate has a widththat is wider than the tape media.
 8. The storage device of claim 1,wherein the contact plate structure comprises a tape guide.
 9. Thestorage device of claim 1, wherein the contact plate has a curvedsurface for contacting the tape media.
 10. The storage device of claim1, wherein the storage device includes an enclosure and wherein the tapereel, the head assembly, and the contact plate are all disposed withinthe enclosure.
 11. A storage device, comprising: a tape reel; a tapemedia coupled to the tape reel; and a head-gimbal assembly for readingdata from and writing data to the tape media, wherein the head-gimbalassembly is configured to fly above the tape media when reading datafrom and writing data to the tape media and wherein the head-gimbalassembly comprises a slider and a magnetic head assembly.
 12. Thestorage device of claim 11, further comprising a cartridge, wherein thetape reel, tape media, and head-gimbal assembly are disposed within thecartridge.
 13. The storage device of claim 11, wherein the magnetic headassembly is narrower in width than the tape media.
 14. The storagedevice of claim 11, further comprising a stepping motor coupled to thehead-gimbal assembly.
 15. A storage device, comprising: a first tapereel for tape media for storing data; means to read data from and writedata to the tape media, wherein the means to read data from and writedata to the tape media is movable from a first position spaced a firstdistance from the tape media to a second position spaced a seconddistance from the tape media, wherein the means to read data from andwrite data to the tape media reads data from and writes data to the tapemedia at the second position; and means to move the tape media closer toand farther from the means to read data from and write data to the tapemedia.
 16. The storage device of claim 15, wherein both the firstposition and the second position are spaced from the tape media.
 17. Thestorage device of claim 15, wherein the means to move the tape mediacontacts the tape media.
 18. The storage device of claim 15, furthercomprising means to stretch the tape media.
 19. The storage device ofclaim 15, further comprising an enclosure and wherein the means to readdata from and write data to the tape media and the means to move thetape media are disposed within the enclosure.
 20. The storage device ofclaim 15, further comprising means to correct track spacing on the tapemedia.